GLAAD Board Elects Media Savvy President

GLAAD’s National Board of Directors today elected media veteran Herndon Graddick as the new President of the nation’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender media advocacy and anti-defamation organization. A nationwide search zeroed in on Haddick who was already in a prominent position with the organization. The new president of GLAAD will be formally introduced at the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles on April 21st. Haddick has ben a Supervising Producer at E! Networks, the day-of-air news division director at Current TV, and a producer at CNN. Graddick today was called “a visionary and strategic leader”. Graddick said in a statement: “Right now GLAAD and our partners in the LGBT movement are making a significant difference at a time when a difference needs to be made. GLAAD’s work with the media to inspire Americans to speak out against anti-LGBT actions and support equality is needed today more than ever.” Graddick is GLAAD’s current VP of Programs and Communications, a position he assumed in 2010. He has led GLAAD’s media initiatives and oversees the organization’s National & Local News; Entertainment; People of Color; Religion, Faith & Values; Advertising; and Spanish-Language Media programs. Under his leadership, GLAAD has engaged in numerous highly visible campaigns, including ‘Stand Up For Ellen’ which prompted the group One Million Moms – a project of the American Family Association – to end their call for J.C. Penney to fire Ellen DeGeneres as its new spokesperson because she is gay. Graddick also oversaw GLAAD’s work on the Commentator Accountability Project – an initiative launched in March to highlight the extreme rhetoric of anti-LGBT activists who currently appear in national news outlets. He is working with film director Brett Ratner to develop a series of videos with GLAAD featuring high-profile celebrities and public figures speaking out for LGBT equality.